Each year I like to start off fresh with new ideas, new plans and often new looks. The website I’m thinking about changing but haven’t yet fully decided on that. It’s a big job. But I have updated my newsletter and had some great feedback on the new look.
Why not pop in to see my latest issue and see for yourself? And if you’re not subscribed, then feel free to do so – I’d love to see you on the list!
As you know the inaugural Australian VA Conference (AVAC) will be held in Melbourne, Australia on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 March 2010. This conference is open to all VAs in any location.
We hope you’re planning to join us and meet your fellow VAs face-to-face at this great event.
Have you visited our sponsors yet? They are listed on the website but let me introduce some of them to you here:
Anyone who’s been in the VA industry for a period of time will have heard of the International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA) which is based in the US. They have worked tirelessly towards improving the industry and gaining professional recognition for our chosen vocation. We are thrilled that IVAA have shown their support of our conference. Please do visit IVAA to see what they have to offer to Virtual Assistants in the way of membership and support.
Small Business Servers Australia Pty Ltd (SBSA) is based in Greensborough, which is located in the northern suburbs of Melbourne around 20 minutes from the CBD. They provide professional IT services to a large and varied array of companies and home based businesses all over Melbourne. Their business was created in late 1999, trading first as ‘Shen Solutions’ and then after incorporation in November 2003 the company commenced trading as Small Business Servers Australia Pty Ltd. As we know, VAs are dependent on their computer and internet based systems to be running at an optimum. Please do visit SBSA to see how they can assist with your business.
Arbit Secretarial and Administration Solutions is a Melbourne based Virtual Assistant practice which has been with the A Clayton’s Secretary network for over 7 years. We are delighted that Cheryl-Lee is supporting this conference as a sponsor.
AIOP Vic Division is our newest major sponsor. Kathie and Anita are both long-term members of AIOP (Australian Institute of Office Professionals) and both are award winners with the organiation as well for their professionalism and activity in the administrative industry. We are delighted that AIOP has elected to sponsor our inaugural VA conference. Make sure you visit their site to learn more about what AIOP can do for you on a professional level.
Tickets are $170 and include a choice of sessions, morning and afternoon refreshments, a networking lunch and the chance to mingle with sponsors and speakers. For those who cannot attend the full event but would like to attend for one day only, we have this option now available. Just visit the Registration page to choose the booking option right for you.
If you would like to make contact with us, provide suggestions, or want more information, please fill out the contact form at our site and either Kathie or Anita will get back to you very soon.
The links below will give you more information.
Put the dates of 12/13 March 2010 in your diary now and plan to come to this fantastic event for the Virtual Assistant industry.
Coordinators for AVAC are Kathie M. Thomas from “A Clayton’s Secretary” and Anita Kilkenny from AKA Virtual PA.
Well, how is your project progressing? Would love to hear about it.
The person I helped this week isn’t in the VA industry but is a budding photographer. She was seeking advice on a photographer’s forum about a business card she was designing and asked for input. I and others did just that but what surprised and pleased me was that one of the other members suggested she take my advice as I showed good business sense. She and I have since been corresponding and she’s been very grateful for it.
I simply see that using my experience provides opportunity to share my learnings with others. If they can learn from my own failings and triumphs then it helps them move along just that bit quicker… providing they understand the basis of what I’m suggesting or advising them. It doesn’t cost me much of my time and the experience and learning has been for a lifetime – it’s worth sharing.
Email, for Virtual Assistants, is often our first point of contact with potential clients. It works like an amabassador for our businesses.
Many experienced VAs, like myself, get a lot of emails from would-be VAs wanting to get work outsourced to them, or wanting to find out if they can work with us as a sub-contractor or similar. We are, in effect, a potential client for them.
So it concerns me considerably when they don’t take care to read their emails properly before hitting send, correcting any obvious errors. Nor do many of them sign off their emails properly either.
It doesn’t take a great deal to take a deep breath, read through the email carefully, correct any grammatical or spelling errors, and then make sure the email is signed off before sending it on its way.
Poorly written or constructed emails will be an immediate turn-off for those whom they are contacting. The same applies for any networking forums they belong to online. The way they communicate via the forums gives others an idea of whether they could work with them. The written form of communication has become very important in the way business is run online these days. If you are unable to communicate properly via email you stand to lose opportunities for work simply because the recipient won’t have any confidence in your abilities – irrespective of whether word-processing is one of your service offerings or not.
I know that many say they can copy type accurately but I do believe/feel that if that is the case, then they should have learnt something from the copy typing they’ve done in the past. Take time with your written communications and you’ll find you will be rewarded.
I had a client of one of my VA team members contact me recently. He wanted to know how much contact I had with them and if I could check into something for him.
A VA had been providing him with phone services and he said he’d emailed, SMS’d and left a phone message for her and she’d not responded. He was concerned as he’d had reports his phone calls weren’t being answered – a job that she was doing for him.
I immediately looked up her phone number and called her to find out what was happening. Perhaps she was ill, something had happened and I wanted to make sure she was ok. Instead it turned out he’d not paid his invoice from November and he hadn’t replied to her email about payment.
I asked her if she’d phoned him and she paused and then said no, she hadn’t. She was obviously very upset and angry with this client and told me all of what she’d been doing for him and he hadn’t paid. I tried to drive home the importance of picking up the phone to talk instead of assuming he’d gotten her email follow up about payment. Yes, he would have had the invoice and yes, he was late in paying but there may have been a miscommunication or a very real reason and it’s important she speak to him instead of just sending an email.
There are valid reasons when you should stop doing work for a client or ‘sack the client’ as I know some VAs have had to do but you do need to give them a fair go too first. Email is not 100% delivery proven – we all know that emails go astray, as does snail mail from time to time. So it’s very important to do the quick thing and pick up a phone.
Well, the end of my first week and who have I helped this past week?
This first is a member of the ACS team (A Clayton’s Secretary which is the VA network I run). A member sent me this message after being told by a client she had gotten the job he posted:
I also wanted to thank you for offering the ACS members such a great opportunity and service. I’m coming up to my first year with you and the income and knowledge you have provided me in 12 months is priceless!
Have a great day 
Alicia Boulton
W: www.absvos.com.au
